‘Joking’ man drops off ID, phone, child with stranger

Monday, July 31

• A Claudette Court caller said a man in the middle of the street was training a pit bull to fight. The dog warden responded and checked the area but said no one was around with a dog.

• A Genesee Street caller told police he thought that a co-worker with whom he had previously had trouble poured coffee on his truck. Police said there was no damage and learned the alleged incident occurred three days prior. The man was advised.

• A Steven Drive house was egged, and the resident told police it was possible retaliation for a July 28 road rage incident. The complainant was advised.

Total Calls Received: 174

Tuesday, Aug. 1

• Police received a call from Pine Ridge Road and another from Freda Avenue reporting several extremely loud explosions. The Freda Avenue caller thought the noises were from fireworks but said she did not see anything. Police checked the area.

• A Cleveland Drive complainant’s husband’s son allegedly broke all the windows on the complainant’s vehicle.

• Police received a call on the 411 tip line about a vehicle occupied by three people parked outside a Rowland Road location for more than an hour. Police said everything was in order and that one of the people in the vehicle lived there.

Total Calls Received: 184

Wednesday, Aug. 2

• A complainant told police a man outside a French Road store had a weapon and wanted to shoot the complainant. Police arrested the man for menacing and confiscated a knife.

• Police received a call that men had been sitting in a car on Aero Drive near Transit Road for more than an hour. The men were Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority employees doing a traffic study.

• Police received a call stating that five motorcyclists were doing wheelies in traffic on Transit Road. Officers checked the area but were unable to locate any of them.

Total Calls Received: 200

Thursday, Aug. 3

• A load of blacktop was spilled on Como Park Boulevard.

• An Oehman Boulevard resident said a neighbor was throwing tree trunks in her yard and that she was concerned with “everything that’s going on on the other side of the fence.” She was advised.

• Police extinguished a “raging mulch fire” near the bus station on Thruway Plaza Drive.

• A Harlem Road caller told police a man walked up to him at Town Park, handed him an identification card, a cellphone and a child, said he would be back in three hours and then walked away. The caller said after that, the man was watching people and walking after the complainant. The man told police he was joking and that the complainant was “too sensitive.” Both parties were advised.

Total Calls Received: 183

Friday, Aug. 4

• The manager of a Genesee Street hotel told police a guest said someone broke into his car and stole $600. A police report was filed.

• A woman on Transit Road was screaming at someone for passing a school bus that had its lights on. The subject claimed the woman said if she saw the car do it again, she would damage it. Both parties were advised.

• Three bullets hit a building on Ludington Street. The complainant heard five or six shots total that seemed to come from the wooded area at the end of Goethe Street. A police report was filed for criminal mischief.

Total Calls Received: 221

Saturday, Aug. 5

• Police received a call from a Rockleigh Drive resident who said someone was in the backyard with a cellphone. The complainant could not give any details about the person and could only see the glow from the phone. The person was gone when police arrived, and the resident was advised.

• A Strasburg Drive resident told police some neighbors and their children were calling her names and throwing trash in her yard. She was advised. There was no answer at the neighbors’ house.

• A Peachtree Road resident reported two ladders and an aluminum plank stolen from the backyard. The resident also told police that the person who stole the items apparently dropped a set of keys at the scene. A police report was filed.

Total Calls Received: 187

Sunday, Aug. 6

• A kitten was rescued from the engine compartment of a vehicle on Woodland Terrace. It was taken to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

• A taxicab driver reported that a fare jumped out on Willowlawn Parkway without paying. The two people ran west through yards, but police were unable to locate them. The complainant was advised.

Total Calls Received: 174

(Editor’s note: The Bee’s police blotter is a sampling of unusual, sometimes humorous calls received by the police department. It is not intended to be a complete record of all incidents reported.)